Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 02/01/2018 Poet laureate Herrera conveys his enthusiasm for composing verse in this energetic how-to guide. In 15 brief chapters, he encourages brainstorming (i.e., “Jabberwalking”) and then quickly scribbling ideas on paper; reviewing for words and phrases that make sense; constructing poems with attention to shape, type size, and font; publishing; and, hopefully, achieving acclaim. Most of the text is conveyed in lively free verse—English, with a generous sprinkling of Spanish—that brims with references to contemporary life: “And if / you are Jabberwalking, that is, moving your blue-cheesy body / across the knobby, bumpy, bean-frijol planet, you too will possess an / honest-to-most-goodness, long, long / Jabber / Poem burble!” Including several biographical vignettes (some recalling encouragement from his mother) and frequent line-drawn cartoons, this book may be the best opportunity most of us will ever have to experiencing a Herrera presentation. And although the casual preteen browser may be left confused, in the hands of a gifted educator, this book has the potential to inspire and encourage young writers. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2018 Gr 7 Up—Poets are Jabber Walkers "with eyes of flame" in Herrera's latest for young adults. Applying this extended metaphor from Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky," Herrera, former Poet Laureate of the United States, empowers teens to move with their feet and their voices, using written words to break down walls erected by themselves and others. Divided into 15 instructional chapters, Herrera details the life of a Jabber Walker, offering practical guidance to speak one's truth through poetry. The poet is a master at enticing readers, asking them to read quickly or stop and slow down with an inspired use of vocabulary and alliterative combinations ("screechy, scratchy, crackly clouds"); this is further encouraged by black-and-white illustrations, a smart use of white space, and text in varying sizes. "Jabber Notebook" prose entries provide glimpses into Herrera's life: the day his father died, and how he started walking downtown like his Papá Felipe; the first school teacher who believed in him; and being forced to only speak English in school ("Does that happen to you?" he asks readers). Herrera provides space for budding poets to learn how to write and encourages them to practice using the first secret of this collection: "You do not have to know where you are going! Or what you are saying!" VERDICT Deeply personal and profoundly unique, this is a highly recommended purchase for every young adult yearning to be heard.—Rachel Zuffa, Racine Public Library, WI - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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